Apprentices: Manufacturing Industries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many new apprenticeship places in the manufacturing sector have been created in the last 12 months.

Kevin Brennan: There were 43,100 apprenticeship starts in 2007-08 in the 'Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies' Sector Subject Area.
	The Government are committed to rebuilding Apprenticeships. Since 1997 we have witnessed a renaissance in Apprenticeships from a low point of 65,000 to a record 225,000 apprenticeship starts in 2007-08. Completion rates are also at a record high with 64 per cent. successfully completing an apprenticeship—up from 37 per cent. in 2004-05.
	The Government are also committed to using their public procurement programme—worth around £175 billion a year—to increase skills training and apprenticeship opportunities. In April, the Office of Government Commerce published guidance on how public sector bodies can include skills and apprenticeship considerations in their procurements.

Learning and Skills Council

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1014W, on Learning and Skills Council, if he will place in the Library a copy of each set of minutes of the Learning and Skills Council's National Council meetings which his Department holds.

Si�n Simon: The LSC publishes a summary of its Council minutes on their website. These can be found at:
	www.lsc.gov.uk
	However, I have asked the acting chief executive of the LSC to review the full minutes of recent National Council meetings and to assess whether it is appropriate to publish the full minutes or more information from them, and to write to the hon. Member with the outcome of that assessment.

Non-departmental Public Bodies

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people were employed by each non-departmental public body that receives funding from his Department in the last three years for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was formed in June 2007, following the machinery of government changes, as a result we are only able to provide information from 2007-08. The staffing figures (full-time equivalentsFTEs) for the NDPBs which receive funding from the Department are as follows:
	
		
			  Full-time equivalents 
			   As at 31 March 
			   2007-08  2008-09 
			 Copyright Tribunal (1)1 2 
			 Council for Science and Technology 4 4 
			 Design Council 58 55 
			 HEFCE 264 264 
			 Investors in People UK 40 44 
			 LSC(2) 3,451 3,229 
			 Office for Fair Access 4 3 
			 Quality Improvement Agency 9 n/a 
			 Research Councils 7,691 7,218 
			 Sector Skills Development Agency 136 n/a 
			 Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property Policy (SABIP) 1 5 
			 Student Loans Company 1,320 1,480 
			 Technology Strategy Board 75 88 
			 UK CES (3)1.1 (4)99.3 
			 n/a = not applicableceased to exist from 2008-09 (1) Staff are employed by the Intellectual Property Office and did not have a full-time commitment to the Copyright Tribunal, as they undertook other duties as well. (2) These figures represent the average FTE across the year, and include approximately 900 staff in 2007-08 and 800 staff in 2008-09 who are not funded from the administration budget. (3) This figure comprises a full-time chief executive and a part time Chair. (4) The total of full-time equivalents includes 10 part-time staff, hence the partial figure of 99.3.

Train to Gain Programme

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of candidates who have registered for Train to Gain courses and are yet to start their course.

Kevin Brennan: Train to Gain is the Government's flagship service providing advice, support and funding to employers in England, of all sizes and in all sectors. It gives employers better access to a wider range of opportunities for improving the skills of their employees, and the productivity of their business.
	Train to Gain learner numbers are recorded only once the learner has registered at the start of their course. Since its launch in 2006, Train to Gain has helped 971,000 employees begin learning programmes (up to 31 January 2009).
	Prior to registration, information about employers and learners with a potential interest in Train to Gain is held by providers locally and used to inform engagement activity. Before April of this year that information was not recorded centrally; however, from 1 April both Train to Gain and Business Link brokers were brought together in a new service under the Business Link brand: information about employers and their employees who use this new service will be collected and used to track progress.

Construction: Industry

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate her Department has made of the number of people seeking work in the construction industry at the latest date for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people were seeking work in the construction industry at the latest date for which figures are available. (283454)
	Unemployment estimates are routinely derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS); however this source does not hold information on which sectors people are seeking employment in.
	As an alternative we have supplied information on the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) based on the stated occupation they are seeking work in. Occupations are classified based on the Standard Occupation Classification 2000 (SOC2000).
	Table 1 shows the number of people claiming JSA in May 2009 who were seeking work in a range of construction related occupations.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance (JSA) seeking work in the construction related occupations, May 2009 
			  SOC Code  Sought occupation( 1)  JSA claimants 
			 1122 Managers in construction 6,500 
			 2121 Civil engineers 2,200 
			 2431 Architects 1,690 
			 2432 Town planners 230 
			 2433 Quantity surveyors 1,270 
			 2434 Chartered surveyors (not quantity surveyors) 1,350 
			 3114 Building and civil engineering technicians 895 
			 3121 Architectural technologists and town planning technicians 1,215 
			 3122 Draughtspersons 2,080 
			 3123 Building inspectors 150 
			 5241 Electricians, electrical fitters 12,340 
			 5311 Steel erectors 1,590 
			 5312 Bricklayers, masons 15,205 
			 5313 Roofers, roof tilers and slaters 6,690 
			 5314 Plumbers, heating and ventilating engineers 11,565 
			 5315 Carpenters and joiners 25,740 
			 5316 Glaziers, window fabricators and fitters 5,585 
			 5319 Construction trades n.e.c. 6,585 
			 5321 Plasterers 10,645 
			 5322 Floorers and wall tilers 4,955 
			 5323 Painters and decorators 21,075 
			 8141 Scaffolders, stagers, riggers 4,845 
			 8142 Road construction operatives 3,495 
			 8143 Rail construction and maintenance operatives 1,815 
			 8149 Construction operatives n.e.c. 9,115 
			 9121 Labourers in building and woodworking trades 50,325 
			 9129 Labourers in other construction trades n.e.c. 40,585 
			  Total 249,735 
			 (1) Occupations are classified based on the Standard Occupation Classification 2000 (SOC2000).   Source:   Jobcentre Plus administrative system

Employment: East of England

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many single parents below state pension age with dependent children were  (a) employed and  (b) unemployed for any period in each constituency in the East of England region in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many people aged 16 years and over who were resident in each constituency in the East of England region were unemployed for any period in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	  Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated July 2009 :
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking how many people aged 16 years and over who were resident in each constituency in the East of England were unemployed for any period in each of the last 10 years; and how many single parents below state pension age with dependant children were (a) employed and (b) unemployed for any period in each constituency in the East of England in each of the last 10 years. (283422  283421)
	The required information is not available; the Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles labour market statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS), however estimates from this source do not exist at the level of detail requested.

Third Sector

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent assessment has been made of the cost- effectiveness of Government funding for  (a) charities,  (b) social enterprises and  (c) voluntary organisations.

Angela Smith: The Office of the Third Sector provides over 515 million of funding for third sector programmes and has commissioned a number of evaluations of individual programmes including Capacitybuilders, Futurebuilders and Grassroots Grants. All of these independent evaluations consider the cost-effectiveness of Government funding and have been or will be published.
	One of the most significant developments in evidencing the cost-effectiveness of funding has been the establishment of the Economic and Social Research Council's 10 million Third Sector Research Centre last year. The Office of the Third Sector is providing 5million funding to this new centre, which will look at measuring the economic impact of the sector, including considerations of cost-effectiveness of statutory funding.
	The National Audit Office's recent value for money report, published in February 2009, considered cost effectiveness of government funds for capacity building the sector. Other work by the NAO on Public Funding of Large Charities (August 2007) and Implementation of Full Cost Recovery (June 2007) also looked at issues of cost effectiveness.
	OTS has recently completed and published a guide to the value of Social Return on Investment (May 2009). Social Return on Investment is a way of measuring and accounting for a broader range of outcomes (such as social and environmental outcomes) rather than constraining cost effectiveness to the financial element alone. This work is of particular value when demonstrating the effectiveness of funding to the third sector.

Academies

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many academies have taken  (a) less than one year,  (b) between one and two years,  (c) between two and three years and  (d) more than three years to open following (i) the initiation of the brokering phase and (ii) the statement of interest.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 4 June2009
	We do not have a central record of when brokering discussions begin for academy projects, and it would be above the cost threshold to collect this data. The Statement of Intent phase has only been a formally recorded part of the process since 2007.
	Of the open academies with Statements of Intent (SOI) none have taken less than a year to progress from SOI to open, 14 have taken between one and two years and none have taken longer.

Children: Emigration

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many leave to remove applications have been brought in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and how many such cases have been granted in each such year.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	Data on applications for leave to remove a child from the UK are not held centrally. However, the following table shows the number of individual cases where there was an order granting leave to remove a child from the UK. Data was not collected prior to 2000.
	
		
			   Number of cases in England and Wales where leave to remove a child from the UK was granted 
			 2000 190 
			 2001 292 
			 2002 333 
			 2003 435 
			 2004 447 
			 2005 474 
			 2006 383 
			 2007 398 
			 2008 355 
			  Notes: 1. The data is taken from the HMCS FamilyMan database.  2. Data includes cases in England and Wales county courts and high courts but excludes a small number of cases in family proceedings courts (FPCs).  3. Leave to remove a child from the UK may be granted as part of residence order proceedings.  4. An order granting leave to remove a child from the UK may refer to more than one child.

GCSE

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  in how many and what percentage of schools which had staff absent for an average of five or more days per teacher 30 per cent. or fewer pupils achieved five GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and mathematics in the last year for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many and what percentage of schools in each decile of  (a) area deprivation by school residence and  (b) area deprivation by pupil residence have been recorded as having a teacher absence rate of at least five days per teacher in the last year for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many and what percentage of schools in which  (a) 50 per cent.,  (b) 60 per cent.,  (c) 70 per cent. and  (d) 75 per cent. or more of teachers were absent for one or more days had 30 per cent. or less of their pupils achieve five GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and mathematics in the last year for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not available. Teacher absence information is limited to that caused by sickness and this is collected at the local authority level which cannot be linked to individual schools' GCSE attainment or area deprivation information.

Members: Correspondence

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he plans to respond to the letter of 12 May 2009 from the right hon. Member for Maidenhead on Aiming High for Disabled Children.

Diana Johnson: A reply to the letter, signed by the Secretary of State, was sent to the hon. Member on 19 June 2009.

Council Housing Finance Review

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 642-3W, on council housing, if he will place in the Library a copy of each research report produced by external organisations in relation to his Department's Review of Council Housing Finance.

Ian Austin: On 30 June the Minister for Housing announced in a written ministerial statement that a consultation document on the review of council housing finance will be published before the summer recess. The research reports will be published alongside this consultation document and subsequently placed in the Library.

Housing: Armed Forces

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many armed forces personnel living in  (a) London,  (b) the South East and  (c) the East of England region have applied for assistance to (i) purchase a home under the New Build HomeBuy scheme and (ii) rent a home under the intermediate rent scheme in each month since October 2006.

John Healey: The Information requested on applications for assistance under the New Build HomeBuy and intermediate rent schemes is not held centrally. Applications are processed by Homebuy agents (appointed housing associations) as part of the Homes and Communities Agency's National Affordable Housing programme.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many housing  (a) starts and  (b) completions there were under the National Affordable Housing Programme in each region in each of the last five years.

Ian Austin: The following table shows the number of affordable homes completed through the National Affordable Housing programme (NAHP) in each region in each of the last five years.
	
		
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 North East 620 710 830 910 700 
			 North West 2,020 2,000 2,260 2,490 3,170 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 1,460 1,040 1,420 1,460 1,640 
			 East Midlands 1,630 1,790 2,530 2,060 3,120 
			 West Midlands 2,240 2,360 3,220 2,000 3,140 
			 Eastern 4,080 3,960 5,090 4,480 6,460 
			 London 9,800 8,900 10,390 11,390 13,410 
			 South East 8,640 8,810 9,210 8,220 9,080 
			 South West 3,260 3,170 3,950 3,190 4,670 
			 England 33,750 32,740 38,890 36,190 45,390 
			  Notes: 1. Comprehensive figures showing the total number of affordable housing starts are not available.  2. The affordable housing completions include social rent, intermediate rent and low cost home ownership. Not all affordable housing completions are provided through the NAHP.  3. The affordable housing figures are estimates and have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  Homes and Communities Agency Investment Management System (IMS)

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions  (a) he,  (b) Ministers in his Department and  (c) his Department's officials have had with (i) HomeBuy agents, (ii) Places for People and (iii) the Co-operative on the winding-up of the Open Market HomeBuy schemes.

John Healey: In managing and developing the Affordable Housing Programme, officials from this Department and the Homes and Communities Agency have regular discussions with HomeBuy agents and equity loan providers, including about the Open Market HomeBuy scheme.

Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 18 June 2009,  Official Report, column 23W, on planning, what assessment he made of the effects on local authorities of the provisions of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 on the time limits relating to planning permission.

Ian Austin: The Secretary of State's assessment is set out in the consultation stage impact assessment which forms part of the consultation document Greater Flexibility for Planning Permissions. This is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/flexibilitypermissions

Planning: Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much he has allocated to local authorities in planning grant for each of the next three years.

Ian Austin: Housing and Planning Delivery Grant (HPDG) totals 435 million and has been approved for the period 2008 to 2011 which only covers the next two years. Funding beyond that period has not yet been agreed. HPDG is broken down per annum as follows:
	
		
			   million 
			 2008-09 (year 1) 100 
			 2009-10 (year 2) 135 
			 2010-11 (year 3) 200 
		
	
	A consultation on proposed changes to the Housing and Planning Delivery Grant allocation mechanism for year 2 and year 3 closed on 23 June 2009. Consideration is currently being given to the responses and a Government response will be made shortly.

Regional Planning and Development

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his Department's policy is on whether strategic environmental assessments in regional spatial strategies should be applied to proposals that  (a) set development policies for specific locations and  (b) reviews of green belt in specific locations.

Ian Austin: Regional Spatial Strategies are required to undergo sustainability appraisals, incorporating the requirements of the European Directive on Strategic Environmental Assessment. Regional Spatial Strategies may identify broad locations for development and include policies on the need for green belt reviews. The potential environmental effects of policies for development of broad locations, and any policies involving green belt reviews, are identified in these appraisals and taken into account in the development of the strategy. However, it would be for the local planning authorities to determine any detailed changes to green belt boundaries.

Tenant Services Authority: Public Relations

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1009W, on Tenant Services Authority: public relations, to what services the contract between the Tenant Services Authority and APCO relates.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her on 19 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1345W, by my right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett).

Unitary Councils: Costs

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 210-11W, on unitary councils: costs, what estimate has been made of  (a) transition costs and  (b) efficiency savings in respect of each new unitary authority; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The figures show estimates of one off transition costs for each of the nine new unitary councils established on 1 April 2009. The table also shows estimates of savings included in the councils budgets for 2009-10 which are either directly attributable to the transition to unitary local government or facilitated by it.
	
		
			   million 
			  Unitary council  Transition costs  2009-10 savings 
			 Bedford borough 6.5 9.9 
			 Central Bedfordshire 19.8 8.5 
			 Cheshire West and Chester 15.0 29.0 
			 Cheshire East 15.5 25.1 
			 Cornwall 19.3 17.1 
			 Durham 12.5 26.3 
			 Northumberland 16.1 23.8 
			 Shropshire 12.1 10.8 
			 Wiltshire 17.0 8.6 
			 Total 133.8 159.1

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role the Panther vehicles which are being upgraded for theatre entry will undertake.

Quentin Davies: The Panther Command and Liaison Vehicle is a multi-role light vehicle that can be configured as a scout, command or liaison vehicle or as a weapons platform. It will be used in a variety of roles in operational theatres as determined by operational commanders on a case by case basis.

Frigates

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many frigates there are available for use by the Royal Navy for each maritime role.

Quentin Davies: The Royal Navy has 17 operational frigates: four Type 22s and 13 Type 23s. These are all capable of fulfilling a wide range of maritime roles from high intensity war-fighting to peacetime patrolling. Specifically eight are configured with anti-submarine warfare and four with command and control and specialist capabilities.

Electric Cables

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the forthcoming National Policy Statement on electricity transmission networks will require good design, as defined in the Planning Act 2008, to be considered in the construction of new overhead transmission lines.

David Kidney: The Secretary of State will have regard to the desirability of achieving good design as part of the overall objective of contributing to the achievement of sustainable development in relation to national policy statements. This is a requirement of the Planning Act 2008 and will apply to all energy NPSs including those covering electricity networks. National policy on good design will therefore be addressed in the National Policy Statements.

International Renewable Energy Agency

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells of 17 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1003W, on the International Renewable Energy Agency, what recent discussions he has had with his German counterparts on a timetable for UK membership of the International Renewable Energy Agency.

David Kidney: holding answer 24 June 2009
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him today to his questions 281421, 281422, and 281423.

Radioactive Materials: Thorp

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what reasons the Thorp reprocessing plant is not operational; for how long he expects the plant to be non-operational; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: holding answer 16 June 2009
	THORP is currently operating on a batch by batch basis where each batch requires its own safety justification. Existing policy for THORP is the plant will continue to operate until existing contracts have been completed or the plant is no longer economic.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to answer Question  (a) 273929,  (b) 273930,  (c) 273931 and  (d) 273932, tabled on 5 May 2009, on the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow.

David Kidney: My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change replied to the hon. Member's questions on 19 June 2009,  Official Report, column 513W.

Dairy Industry

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the future of the dairy industry.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The longer term prospects for the dairy sector are encouraging and the UK is well placed to take advantage of the expected growth in global demand. The British dairy sector as a whole is fundamentally sound and through the Dairy Supply Chain Forum we are providing a framework for constructive debate and information for industry to make informed decisions about their future.

Dairy Industry

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to assist the dairy farming sector.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Working with industry, through the Dairy Supply Chain Forum we are providing a framework for constructive debate and information for the supply chain to make informed decisions about their future. The Forum also considers sector efficiency and sustainable development.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding his Department has allocated to the development of agricultural businesses in  (a) Mid Bedfordshire constituency and  (b) the East of England in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table gives, by financial year, funding in the East of England region from 1998-99 onwards(1) (data for 1997-98 are not readily available electronically). Separate figures are not available for the Mid Bedfordshire constituency. These figures include payments made under Rural Development Programmes since 2000, agri-environment payments made prior to that date and payments made directly to agricultural businesses by the East of England Development Agency.
	(1) Figures obtained from DEFRA, East of England Development Agency and Natural England.
	
		
			   Total () 
			 1998-99 3,000 
			 1999-2000 2,951,000 
			 2000-01 10,617,000 
			 2001-02 13,359,000 
			 2002-03 16,934,000 
			 2003-04 21,645,000 
			 2004-05 29,093,000 
			 2005-06 33,101,000 
			 2006-07 42,613,000 
			 2007-08 51,088,000 
			 2008-09 56,428,000 
			 Grand total 277,832,000

Agriculture: Subsidies

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding his Department allocated to  (a) the Rural Payments Agency,  (b) Natural England and  (c) regional development agencies for the purposes of the administration of funding allocated under the common agricultural policy in 2008-09; and how much funding his Department has allocated for those purposes in 2009-10.

Dan Norris: DEFRA allocated 202 million in 2008-09 and 183 million in 2009-10 to the Rural Payments Agency for the purposes of administering the funding allocated under the Common Agricultural Policy.
	Natural England was allocated 13.6 million in 2008-09 and 14.6 million in 2009-10 to cover their direct costs associated with administering the pillar 2 axis 2 spend in the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) under the common agricultural policy. These administration costs are less than 4 per cent. of the value of the RDPE programme.
	4.95 million was transferred to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in each year to cover the costs of regional development agencies' delivery of the socio-economic measures of the Rural Development Programme for England.

Incinerators: Finance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2009,  Official Report, column 578W, on waste disposal: Newcastle upon Tyne, whether his Department issues guidance to local authorities on the inclusion of incinerators as a waste management option in private finance initiative contracts for waste disposal.

Dan Norris: All private finance initiative (PFI) guidance is technology neutral and seeks to ensure that authorities and their procurements obtain value for money. DEFRA does however provide guidance on appraising residual waste infrastructure options. The guidance is available on DEFRA's website:
	www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/localauth/funding/pfi/procurement-pack.htm
	I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 25 June 2009, Official Report, column 1097W, which clarifies DEFRA's policy on technology choice for PFI projects.

Afghanistan: Detainees

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 24 June 2009,  Official Report, column 964W, on Afghanistan: detainees, whether the British Embassy in Washington notified officials in his Department of the transfer of detainees from Guantnamo Bay to Bermuda before those detainees arrived in Bermuda.

David Miliband: Our embassy in Washington notified officials in London as soon as they were made aware by the US Administration, a few hours before the former detainees arrived in Bermuda early on 11 June 2009.

Afghanistan: Detainees

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2009,  Official Report, column 631W, on Afghanistan: detainees. whether the agreement between the United States and the government of Bermuda regarding the transfer of inmates from Guantnamo Bay includes financial provisions; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The US has committed to pay to the Government of Bermuda costs of up to US$100,000 to assist with the living expenses of the four former detainees from Guantanamo Bay.

Afghanistan: Females

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what representations the Government have made to the Government of Afghanistan on ensuring the safety from violent attacks on female journalists in Afghanistan;
	(2)  what recent reports his Department has received of violent attacks on female journalists in Afghanistan.

Ivan Lewis: We are aware that attacks against female journalists have taken place, for example the attack on Zakia Zaki, who ran the private radio station Peace Radio. She was killed by multiple gunmen in her home north of Kabul, in the central province of Parwan, on 5 June 2007.
	We deplore attacks on any journalistmale or femaleand supported the joint EU-Norway declaration on freedom of expression made on 16 April 2009:
	http://www.delafg.ec.europa.eu/en/downloadable_documents/Nov_2008/Press_Release/DFE_16apr09.pdf
	We welcome the huge growth in independent Afghan media since 2001, but, as the declaration states, we are concerned about evidence of a gradual deterioration of the situation regarding freedom of expression, including the growing intimidation and violence targeting Afghan journalists, and challenges to the independence of the media.
	If the Afghan Government were to enact the new Media Law, already passed by the Lower House of the Afghan Parliament, it would do much to help ensure respect for freedom of expression, particularly in the run up to the elections this August. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has raised this issue with President Karzai and we will continue to lobby the Afghan Government to pass the law.
	Strengthening the rule of law is also essential to protecting individuals, including journalists, from violence and intimidation. But the challenges are long-term and significant. We continue to support the Afghan authorities in developing an effective police force, improving access to justice and strengthening the formal justice system's ability to prosecute offenders and tackle corruption. In 2008-09, the UK allocated 29 million to strengthen Afghan interdiction and law enforcement capacity.

Cyber Security: Finance

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost of establishing a cyber security operations centre.

David Hanson: I have been asked to reply.
	The Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) will be established in September 2009 to bring together existing multi-agency efforts to provide situational awareness, analysis and incident response co-ordination in the cyber security field, making sure that new and existing resources are used to best effect in the areas where they are needed the most. The additional resources for the Government's overall cyber security programme will be reported to the House in the autumn.

European Union: Jordan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the outcome was of the EU-Jordan Informal Summit on 17 June 2009; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The discussions between the EU and Jordan on 17 June 2009 focused on peace in the Middle-East. The Jordanian delegation, led by His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan, and the EU agreed on the importance of making rapid progress. Achieving peace in the Middle-East is also a high priority for the EU and for the UK. We will continue to work towards a comprehensive peace based on a two-state solution, involving a secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state.

Honduras: Politics and Government

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the political situation in Honduras; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: We condemn the forcible removal of President Manuel Zelaya from Honduras on Sunday 28 June 2009. Along with others, the UK has called for a swift resolution of the situation and the restoration of the legitimate, democratic government of the country. I issued a statement to this effect on 28 June 2009 condemning President Zelaya's expulsion. The UK also supported a UN General Assembly Resolution, adopted unanimously on 30 June 2009, which condemned these events which have
	interrupted the democratic and constitutional order and the legitimate exercise of power in Honduras.
	The resolution also demanded the restoration of the Government, and called on states not to recognise any government other than the constitutionally elected one. Demonstrations have been occurring in Honduras and the military are deployed on the streets of the capital Tegucigalpa. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and call for the peaceful resolution in accordance with the constitutional order of Honduras and the principles of rule of law and democracy.

Members: Correspondence

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Chelmsford of 6 April 2009 on his constituent, Ms Daphne Green of Chelmsford.

Chris Bryant: I replied to the hon. Member on 1 July 2009.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital admissions there were for diagnosis code  (a) F10.0,  (b) F10.1,  (c) F10.2,  (d) F10.3,  (e) F10.4,  (f) F10.5,  (g) F10.6,  (h) F10.7,  (i) F10.8 and  (j) F10.9 for (i) males and (ii) females aged (A) under 14, (B) 14 to 17 and (C) 18 years and over in (1) each region and (2) each primary care trust in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 1 July 2009
	The information is shown in a table which has been placed in the Library.
	On advice from the NHS Information Centre for health and social care (Information Centre) data by primary care trust (PCT) has not been given, instead data has been given by strategic health authority (SHA). This is because the small number of patients at PCT level requires that all of the data for the 14 to 17 age group and the majority of the 18 and over age group would have to be suppressed, to prevent any identification of individuals, which means that the data which could be supplied would be meaningless.
	Additionally, the Information Centre has advised that SHA data be used instead of Government Office Region (GOR) data. SHAs have very similar boundaries to GOR, with the exception of South East Coast SHA and South Central SHA, which are together aggregated to South East GOR. It should be noted that after 2005-06 the SHA configurations changed, with the 28 SHAs merging to form 10 larger SHAs.
	The number of admissions does not represent the number of patients as one patient may have been admitted more than once.

Cancer: Research

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department allocated to research into  (a) cancer and  (b) ovarian cancer in the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The most recent available information in respect of the departmental and national health service expenditure on cancer research is shown in the following table.
	
		
			million 
			 2003-04 140 
			 2004-05 150 
			 2005-06 168 
			 2006-07 161 
			 2007-08 159 
		
	
	The Medical Research Council and other research councils funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills also invest significantly in cancer research. Comparable information in relation to ovarian cancer research is not held centrally.
	Over the last 10 years, the main part of the Department's research and development budget has been allocated to and managed by national health service organisations. Those organisations have accounted for their use of the allocations they have received from the Department in an annual research and development report. The reports identify total, aggregated expenditure on national priority areas, including cancer. They do not provide details of research into particular cancer sites.
	The National Cancer Research Institute, a United Kingdom wide partnership between government, charities and industry, makes cancer research information available online via the International Cancer Research Portfolio database at:
	www.cancerportfolio.org
	Details of current departmental and Medical Research Council site-specific cancer research can be found through this database.

Dental Services: North West

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to NHS dentistry in  (a) Merseyside and  (b) Crosby constituency.

Ann Keen: Information is not available in the format requested.
	Information on the number of patients seen in the most recent 24-month period is available in Table D3 of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England, Quarter 3, 31 December 2008 report. Information is provided at quarterly intervals from 31 March 2006 to 31 December 2008. This report, published on 21 May 2009, has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the Information Centre for health and social care website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstats0809q3
	The numbers of dentists with national health service activity during the years ending 31 March 2007 and 2008 are available in Table G1 of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2007/08 report. This report, published on 21 August 2008, has already been placed in the Library and is also on the Information Centre for health and social care website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0708
	Following a recent consultation exercise, this measure is based on a revised methodology and therefore supersedes previously published workforce figures relating to the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006. It is not comparable to the information collected under the old contractual arrangements. This revised methodology counted the number of dental performers with NHS activity recorded via FP17 claim forms in each year ending 31 March.
	Workforce figures relate to headcounts and do not differentiate between full-time and part-time dentists, nor do they account for the fact that some dentists may do more NHS work than others.
	Information in both reports is provided by primary care trust (PCT) and strategic health authority (SHA) but is not available by constituency. They are based on the PCT boundaries which came into effect on 1 October 2006.
	All 10 SHAs have set themselves the aim of providing access to NHS dentistry for all who seek it by March 2011 at the latest.
	We are supporting PCTs to meet this aim with extra resourcesan 11 per cent. uplift in our dental funding allocations for 2008-09, and a further 8.5 per cent, uplift in total funds for 2009-10, which takes the total available for dental allocations to 2,257 million (net of patient charge income).
	We have also set up an expanded national dental access programme, headed by Dr. Mike Warburton an experienced clinician and manager, to support managers and clinicians to rapidly expand services where needed.
	The report of the Independent Review of Dentistry in England, published on 22 June recommends a series of further actions to support access and quality. Piloting of the recommendations will begin from this autumn.

Drugs: Misuse

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital admissions there were for diagnosis code  (a) F11.0,  (b) F11.1,  (c) F11.2,  (d) F11.3,  (e) F11.4,  (f) F11.5,  (g) F11.6,  (h) F11.7,  (i) F11.8 and  (j) F11.9 for (i) males and (ii) females aged (A) under 14, (B) 14 to 17 and (C) 18 years and over in (1) each region and (2) each primary care trust in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 1 July 2009
	The information is shown in a table which has been placed in the Library.
	On advice from the NHS Information Centre for health and social care (Information Centre) data by primary care trust (PCT) has not been given, instead data has been given by strategic health authority (SHA). This is because the small number of patients at PCT level requires that all of the data for the 14 to 17 age group and the majority of the 18 and over age group would have to be suppressed, to prevent any identification of individuals, which means that the data which could be supplied would be meaningless.
	Additionally, the Information Centre has advised that SHA data be used instead of Government Office Region (GOR) data. SHAs have very similar boundaries to GOR, with the exception of South East Coast SHA and South Central SHA, which are together aggregated to South East GOR. It should be noted that after 2005-06 the SHA configurations changed, with the 28 SHAs merging to form 10 larger SHAs.
	The number of admissions does not represent the number of patients as one patient may have been admitted more than once.

Food Standards Agency: Public Appointments

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in recruiting a new Chair of the Food Standards Agency.

Gillian Merron: The position of chair of the Food Standards Agency is appointed jointly by the Secretary of State for Health and the Health Ministers in the devolved Administrations. The role was advertised in March 2009 for a period of four weeks. The application period closed on 14 April. The selection panel shortlisted the applications in May and interviewed candidates in June. Ministers considered the panel's recommendations and agreed Lord Rooker as the preferred candidate.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has invited the House of Commons Health Select Committee to scrutinise the preferred candidate prior to appointment. The Committee are due to scrutinise the appointment on 6 July 2009.
	The process, run by the Appointments Commission, is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and has been conducted in accordance with the Commissioner's Code of Practice for Public Appointments, involving an independent assessor at all stages, including the shortlist and interview panel.

Health Hazards: Aerials

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research his Department has evaluated on the potential effects on health of mobile telephone masts; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The independently managed Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research (MTHR) programme, jointly funded by Government and industry has supported a number of studies into the possible health effects of radiofrequency technology relating both to mobile telephone masts and hand-held mobile phones. The MTHR programme published its first report in September 2007. None of the 23 individual studies reported under this programme to date demonstrates that biological or adverse health effects are produced by radiofrequency exposure from mobile phones or telecommunications base stations (masts). Ongoing studies include a case control study of cancer incidence in early childhood and proximity to mobile phone base stations.
	The MTHR programme management committee recognised that some concerns still remain and proposed some additional work. Further studies in this second phase are under way. Details of all MTHR projects can be found on the MTHR website at:
	www.mthr.org.uk/research_projects/research.htm
	The Health Protection Agency's (HPA's) Radiation Protection Division keeps the relevant research publications under continual review largely through its independent Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation (AGNIR). Information on AGNIR can be found at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebHPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1195733801791
	The HPA provides advice on electromagnetic fields and health to Government and the general public at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAwebPage HPAwebAutoListName/Page/1158934607786?p=l158934607786

Hyperactivity

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department has allocated to the NHS research and development programme for research into treatments and services for patients with adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in the last five years.

Gillian Merron: Both the Department and the Medical Research Council support attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) research. Available annual expenditure data are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Expenditure on ADHD research 
			  000 
			   Department of Health  Medical Research Council 
			 2004-05 0 480 
			 2005-06 0 380 
			 2006-07 88 594 
			 2007-08 613 294 
			 2008-09 710 (1) 
			 (1 )Not yet available. 
		
	
	The Departmental figures relate to national research programmes. They do not include expenditure on ADHD research from the research and development allocations made from 2004-05 to 2007-08 to national health service organisations as that information is not held centrally.
	The National Institute for Health Research's clinical research network is currently supporting 12 studies concerned with ADHD.

Meningitis: Vaccination

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is for the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation's assessment of the two new candidate vaccines for the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

Gillian Merron: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) reviewed the evidence on the two new candidate pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on 15 January 2009 and 18 February 2009.
	The minutes of the JCVI pneumococcal subgroup (15 January 2009) and minutes of JCVI meeting (18 February 2009) are available on the JCVI website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/ab/JCVI/DH_095054
	An Official Journal of the European Union advert has been placed for a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. The contract is likely to be awarded in September.

Methadone: Young People

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) people,  (b) under 18-year-olds,  (c) under 16-year-olds and  (d) under 12-year-olds were treated with methadone in each of the last five years; and what the (i) mean, (ii) median and (iii) longest time was for which people in each category were on methadone in each year.

Gillian Merron: Information is not held centrally on the number, age of patients treated with a particular drug or the duration of their treatment programme. The following table shows the number of people receiving prescribing treatment for the previous four years.
	The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse's National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) has been collecting data on people in drug treatment in England since 2004-05. NDTMS records the numbers of people receiving specialist prescribing rather than the specific substitute drug a drug misuser in treatment is prescribed. Therefore while most receive oral methadone, some people may be prescribed buprenorphine or other substitute opioids.
	
		
			  Number of individuals receiving prescribing treatment (including methadone) 
			  England  Number 
			 2004-05 88,196 
			 2005-06 107,093 
			 2006-07 118,107 
			 2007-08 131,468

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 21 April 2009,  Official Report, column 581W, on Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, if he will place in the Library a copy of the version of the report sent to his Department on 20 February 2009 by the Healthcare Commission; and on what dates less complete versions were sent to his officials.

Mike O'Brien: Departmental officials received incomplete drafts, without substantive findings or appendices on 18 December 2008 and 6 February 2009. We do not propose to place them in the Library because they were provided in confidence to check factual accuracy. It is in the public interest that reports that are factually accurate should be published and that information for checking can be shared in confidence.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the percentage uplift to the tariff to take account of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) technology appraisals and clinical guidelines has been in each year since the introduction of payment by results; which NICE technology appraisals have met the criteria for tariff adjustment; what the tariff adjustment was in each such case; and on what date each such NICE technology appraisal was published.

Mike O'Brien: The following table sets out the proportion of the annual tariff uplift that relates to National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) technology appraisals, clinical guidelines and secondary care drugs prices:
	
		
			  Tariff year  Uplift (percentage) 
			 2009-10 1.0 
			 2008-09 0.7 
			 2007-08 1.0 
			 2006-07 1.2 
			 2005-06 1.1 
			  Notes: 1. Uplift figures are taken from information published each year to support the implementation of Payment by Results, available on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/pbr 2. For consistency, the uplift figures combine NICE appraisals/clinical guidelines and secondary care drugs prices, as from 2008-09 onwards these elements have not been separately identified in the tariff uplift breakdown. 3. All figures are net of Healthcare Resource Group (HRG) adjustments. 4. Figures are provided from 2005-06 onwards, as this was the first year in which Payment by Results was applicable for all trusts. 
		
	
	Information on which NICE technology appraisals have met the criteria for tariff adjustment, and the dates on which they were published, is contained in the Payment by Results (PbR) guidance documents for the years 2005-06 to 2009-10. These guidance documents also contain information on specific adjustments made where NICE appraisals can be mapped to specific Healthcare Resource Groups (HRGs).
	PbR guidance documents for 2005-06 to 2009-10 have been placed in the Library, and are also available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/pbr
	Information on the proportion of the tariff uplift that can be assigned to individual NICE appraisals is not available. This is because when setting the tariff uplift, the Department makes use of a range of estimates and forecasts and makes a judgment about the appropriate level. In assessing the cost pressures associated with drugs and NICE appraisals, account is taken of the fact that some drugs and devices fall outside the scope of PbR (and are priced locally) or are subject to a specific HRG adjustment.
	It should be noted that NICE produce information on cost and financial impact on the national health service when they publish guidance. Further information is available on the NICE website at:
	www.nice.org.uk

NHS: Drugs

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what progress has been made in implementing  (a) recommendation 4 and  (b) the other recommendations made in the report by Professor Mike Richards on Improving access to medicines for NHS patients, published on 4 November 2008;
	(2)  what progress has been made in the review by strategic health authorities of arrangements to support collaboration in  (a) decision-making on the use of new medicines,  (b) exceptional funding requests and  (c) the use of medicines outside their licensed indication.

Mike O'Brien: With regard to the progress made in implementing recommendation 4 of Professor Mike Richards' report and the review by strategic health authorities, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Mark Simmonds) on 25 June 2009,  Official Report, column 1119W.
	Good progress is being made in completing three out of four of the remaining recommendations.

NHS: Sponsorship

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department provides to primary care trusts (PCTs) on the acceptance of sponsorship from private enterprises; and how much each PCT received in private sponsorship in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 18 June 2009
	Previously guidance was sent out by the Department in 2000, and has been placed in the Library.
	The Department no longer gives specific guidance to primary care trusts on acceptance of sponsorship. National health service bodies may enter into commercial sponsorship arrangements to raise additional income, however they should avoid entering into arrangements with organisations that are perceived as being in conflict with health, for example tobacco companies.
	It is a matter for local NHS organisations to determine their own policy on this matter and they should use local arrangements to publicly declare sponsorship or any commercial relationship linked to the supply of goods or services and be prepared to be held to account for it. The information requested is not held centrally.
	Information on health services in the other United Kingdom countries is a matter for the other devolved Administrations.

Pharmacy: Crime

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward legislative proposals to repeal the provisions of the Medicines Act 1968 which makes a dispensing error by a pharmacist, a criminal offence.

Mike O'Brien: The Government recognise concerns that specific provisions contained in the 1968 Medicines Act may be used to prosecute pharmacists who make a dispensing error.
	A full review of the Medicines Act is already under way by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). This will include consideration of changes that may be made to the law to ensure that it provides the necessary safeguards for the public while being proportionate as to how instances of clinical error are dealt with. The MHRA is working closely with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and other stakeholders on the Medicines Act review.

Swine Flu: Health Education

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of households in England have received information leaflets on swine flu.

Gillian Merron: It is estimated that the swine flu information leaflet was delivered to just under 95 per cent. of households in England, distribution was carried out in May 2009.
	Extra copies of the leaflet were sent to general practitioner surgeries, pharmacies, halls of residence and primary care trusts as well as members of the publicity register, which consists of intermediary organisations that deal with the public, all of which were able to order further copies for distribution.
	The information leaflet is also available online at:
	www.nhs.uk,
	www.direct.gov.uk/swineflu
	and
	www.dh.gov.uk
	It is available in foreign language translations, large print, Braille, audio CD and tape, BSL and an Easy read version for people with learning disabilities.
	While every effort has been made to achieve delivery to 100 per cent. of households, residents in some flats or shared accommodation who have central mail boxes may have received only one leaflet per location.

Immigrants: Somalia

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Somali nationals have  (a) voluntarily returned to and  (b) have been forcibly removed to Somalia from the UK in the last two years.

Phil Woolas: The requested information is not available. The following table shows the number of nationals of Somalia removed or departed voluntarily to Somalia in the last two years by type of departure.
	The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of persons removed or departed voluntarily from the UK on a quarterly and annual basis, which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	
		
			  Removals and voluntary departures( 1) , for nationals of Somalia to Somalia( 2) , by type, January 2007 to December 2008 
			  Number of departures( 3) 
			   2007( 4)  2008( 4) 
			  To Somalia, 40 30 
			  nationals of Somalia   
			  Of which:   
			 enforced removals and notified voluntary departures(5, 6) 10 20 
			 Assisted Voluntary Returns(7) 20 5 
			 other voluntary departures(8) 10  
			 non-asylum cases refused entry at port and subsequently removed(9)   
			 (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 (- = 0, * = 1 or 2) and may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. (2) Destination as recorded on source database. (3) Removals and voluntary departures recorded on the system as at the dates on which the data extracts were taken. (4) Provisional figures. Figures will under record due to data cleansing and data matching exercises that take place after the extracts are taken. (5) Due to a reclassification of removal categories, figures include asylum removals which have been performed by Enforcement Officers using port powers of removal and a small number of cases dealt with at juxtaposed controls. 
			 (6) Since October 2006, figures include persons leaving under Facilitated Return Schemes. (7) Persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organization for Migration. May include some on-entry cases and some cases where enforcement action has been initiated. (8) Since January 2005, persons who it has been established left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (9) Includes removals performed by Immigration Officers at ports using enforcement powers and cases dealt with at juxtaposed controls.

Internet: Security

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's budget for cyber-security was for 2008-09.

David Hanson: The Home Office takes cyber-security very seriously. In addition to research in this area, cyber security is an integral part of every Home Office IT system but it is not costed separately; hence it is not feasible to give a total budget figure.

Afghanistan

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will place in the Library a copy of the Afghan Perspectives Report: The Provincial Reconstruction Team and Quick Impact Projects, Helmand Province of April 2008.

Douglas Alexander: The Afghan Perspectives Report is not suitable for release. It contains sensitive information; the publication of which I am advised could put individuals at risk.

Democratic Republic of Congo: International Assistance

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the effects of the security situation in North Kivu on the capacity of humanitarian organisations to deliver assistance to that region; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The current situation in North Kivu is characterised by significant humanitarian needs, widespread violence and human rights violations. Along with continuing insecurity, emergency assistance is also hampered by weak basic services, insufficient funding and too few humanitarian organisations on the ground.
	Ongoing military operations led by the Congolese Army (FARDC) against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) have further restricted humanitarian access and the ability to distribute relief items, leaving many with no or insufficient assistance.
	The Department for International Development is committed to helping alleviate the humanitarian situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In January the Secretary of State announced a commitment of 35 million for 2009 for humanitarian needs.

Kenya: Overseas Aid

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of his Department's development aid to Kenya which was  (a) misappropriated and  (b) used for purposes other than those for which it was intended in the last two years.

Gareth Thomas: The majority of UK development aid to Kenya goes through civil society organisations, international NGOs, UN agencies and other private implementing partners, who usually have robust project monitoring and financial accounting systems. Approximately 30 per cent. of our programme goes directly to the Government of Kenya through earmarked accounts, which are rigorously monitored and audited. Thorough fiduciary risk assessments are undertaken of individual ministries and projects before we provide funding to the Government of Kenya.
	The only substantiated instance of misappropriation I am aware of in the last two years was in 2007, when 18,968 was misappropriated from a DFID health programme. The fraud was picked up by DFID systems, the funds were recovered and returned to DFID, and legal action was taken against the suspect. This constitutes less than 0.02 per cent. of UK development aid to Kenya over a two year period.

Overseas Aid

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the percentage of humanitarian aid provided by the Government which  (a) reaches and  (b) does not reach its intended recipients.

Gareth Thomas: Department for International Development (DFID) aid is managed and controlled to ensure that it reaches its intended recipients. DFID does not provide humanitarian aid to foreign governments, only to UN relief agencies, the Red Cross and reputable non-government organisations. It is monitored rigorously on the ground, at headquarters level and through systematic accounting, audit and parliamentary scrutiny. The National Audit Office and the International Development and Public Accounts Select Committees have in recent years examined and reported favourably on DFID's humanitarian spending.

Somalia: Overseas Aid

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the provision of humanitarian aid to Somalia.

Gareth Thomas: In May, the European Union (EU) General Affairs Council, attended by the Foreign Secretary and I, agreed a statement on Somalia which: condemned the recent fighting in Mogadishu and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. It also welcomed the steps taken by the new Transitional Federal Institutions to consolidate the political process and stressed the continued engagement of the EU, including in the delivery of humanitarian aid as well as for reconstruction and development.

Fraud

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been  (a) investigated,  (b) tried and  (c) convicted of Ponzi-type frauds in each of the last five years.

Claire Ward: The information requested is not available.
	Ponzi-type fraud is not an offence covered by specific legislation and financial service providers involved in consequential criminal behaviour are likely to be charged with an offence appropriate to the circumstances (such as money laundering, fraud or dishonesty, theft or market abuse etc).
	Information held on the Ministry of Justice court proceedings database on the number of prosecutions and convictions for fraud offences cannot be broken down further to show which of these offences specifically relate to the commission of a Ponzi-type fraud.

Fraud

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people are in detention having been convicted of participation in or orchestration of Ponzi-type frauds; and what the average length of detention for this particular type of crime is.

Claire Ward: The information requested is not available.
	Ponzi-type fraud is not an offence covered by specific legislation and financial service providers involved in consequential criminal behaviour are likely to be charged with an offence appropriate to the circumstances (such as money laundering, fraud or dishonesty, theft or market abuse etc).
	While statistics are held on the number of detentions and average sentence lengths by each offence group (including fraud and forgery), they cannot be broken down further to show which of these convictions specifically related to the commission of a Ponzi-type fraud.

National Probation Service for England and Wales

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on what date the post of Director of the National Probation Service was discontinued.

Maria Eagle: The post of the Director of the National Probation Service was discontinued on 29 March 2009.
	The National Offender Management Service joins up both prisons and probation into one. There was no Director of Prison Service previously and due to the joined up nature of the new organisation, once the transitional phase was ended, the post of Director of Probation was discontinued.

Prisoners: Foreigners

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign prisoners were in open prisons on 31 May 2009.

Maria Eagle: At the end of March 2009 there were 204 foreign national prisoners detained in open prisons in England and Wales.
	Data on foreign national prisoners are published quarterly in the population in custody bulletin, on the Ministry of Justice website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/populationincustody.htm
	Annual data on FNPs, and other characteristics on the prison population, have been published each year in Offender Management Caseload Statistics from 2003 and before that in Prison Statistics England and Wales. Both publications are in the House of Commons of Library and may also be accessed via the Ministry of Justice website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/prisonandprobation.htm
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Probation Officers: Derbyshire

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of changes to the number of probation staff in Derbyshire in  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) 2011-12.

Maria Eagle: It is not possible to provide estimates of staffing figures for Derbyshire at this time. Resource allocations for 2010-11 and 2011-12 have not yet been set.
	The Derbyshire Probation Board has been developing their financial and business plans for the next three years, as part of their application to become a Probation Trust. Unions are being consulted as these plans are being developed.
	When the outcome of their trust application is known and the resource allocations for 2010-11 and 2011-12 have been set, Derbyshire will prepare their workforce plans to deliver the required service within available resources. I will write to the hon. Member when resource allocations have been set and the associated workforce plans have been agreed by Derbyshire Probation Board.
	Responsibility for resourcing levels lies with each probation board or trust as they are the employers of probation staff. It is for them to take the action necessary at a local level, within available resources, to ensure they can deliver the required service.

Probation Officers: Manpower

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) qualified and  (b) trainee probation officers there were in the Probation Service in England and Wales in each year since 2002.

Maria Eagle: The following table shows the number of qualified and trainee probation officers in the Probation Service in each year since 2002.
	
		
			  Full-time equivalents 
			   Probation officers( 1)  Trainee probation officers 
			 2002(2,3) 5,966 1,566 
			 2003(3) 6,271 1,818 
			 2004(3) 6,585 1,774 
			 2005(3) 6,894 1,386 
			 2006(3) 7,209 1,134 
			 2007(3,4) 7,119 1,138 
			 (1) Includes senior probation officers, senior practitioners, probation officers and professional development assessors. (2) Figures taken from the Home Office RDS Probation Statistics Report. (3 )Figures taken at 31 December each year. (4) Figures for 2007 will shortly be published on the Probation Service Intranet and Internet sites. 
		
	
	This is also in the context of a 70 per cent. increase in Probation funding in real terms over the last 10 years and an increase of more than a third in staff. The Probation Service continues to cut reoffending rates, increase successful drug treatments and offending behaviour programmes, and carries out visible and punitive Community Payback.

Probation: Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions in the latest period for which figures are available the Probation Service recommended a custodial sentence in pre-sentence reports; and what guidance his Department issues to the Probation Service on whether to recommend custodial sentences for imprisonable offences.

Maria Eagle: During the period January to December 2008, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 17,164 cases where an immediate custodial sentence was the recommendation of a pre-sentence report. This information is available at the Ministry of Justice website at the following address:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/probationquarterly.htm
	The principal guidance provided to the Probation Service on sentencing proposals to make to the court is the Criminal Justice Act 2003: New Sentences and New Framework and the National Implementation Guide for the Criminal Justice Act 2003, both of which were issued in March 2005.
	Both documents make clear that the report writer should propose a sentence that is proportionate to the level of seriousness and purpose, or purposes, of sentencing that the court intended, including the use of custodial or suspended custodial sentences. Separate guidance issued in June 2005 describes how the report writer should address sentences for public protection, also introduced by CJA 2003.
	Further guidance was issued in April 2009 for court officers, report writers and offender managers that emphasised that reports should offer the court a clear proposal and that custody should be proposed where no other sentence was suitable. The Government believe that prison is the right place for the most dangerous, serious and persistent offenders. And we are increasing prison capacity to ensure that we always have enough places for these offenders.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Departmental Internet

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 988-90W, on the departmental internet, how many  (a) unique visitors and  (b) page impressions were received by each website operated by his Department in each of the last 12 months.

Shaun Woodward: The number of  (a) unique visitors and  (b) page impressions received by each website for the last 12 months as detailed in the answer of 3 February is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Youth Justice Agency  NI Prison Service  OCTF  Northern Ireland Office 
			  Month  Unique visitors  Page impressions  Unique visitors  Page impressions  Unique visitors  Page impressions  Unique visitors  Page impressions 
			 June 2008 2,851 22,067 11,121 481,656 2,833 63,059 28,297 501,941 
			 July 2008 2,508 22,943 9,581 691,732 2,527 69,260 20,631 463,098 
			 August 2008 2,043 21,337 7,859 1,786,452 2,043 63,271 18,458 383,870 
			 September 2008 2,214 19,615 8,426 686,181 2,175 58,327 22,379 441,252 
			 October 2008 2,237 22,919 9,823 674,066 2,584 63,891 27,814 559,138 
			 November 2008 2,395 23,184 10,708 729,506 2585 61,796 20,491 493,436 
			 December 2008 1,884 18,295 9,375 765,327 2,398 55,750 22,677 354,193 
			  
			 January 2009 2,341 24,788 9,175 843,567 2,359 60,020   
			 February 2009 2,151 22,604 10,469 910,119 2,228 50,245   
			 March 2009 2,486 22,744 9,925 904,375 2,399 58,133   
			 April 2009 2,218 18,495 10,423 1,110,648 2,647 53,380   
			 May 2009 2,214 18,789 10,344 960,806 2,731 50,806   
			 June 2009 2,851 22,067 6,613 543,361 (1)1,164 (1)18,349   
			 (1) Figures as at 16 June 2009.  Notes: 1. Figures for the Northern Ireland Office website are not obtainable from January 2009 until present due a change over from our web statistic provider. 2. The Youth Justice Agency website: www.youthconferenceserviceni.gov.uk is not included as this website has not been in operation for the last 12 months.

Aviation: Black Boxes

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will request the Civil Aviation Authority to press the International Civil Aviation Organisation to review the design of aircraft black boxes to ensure that after accidents they can  (a) be more readily located and  (b) transmit location signals for a longer period.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport is not aware of a particular deficiency in the design of aircraft flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders (otherwise known as 'black boxes') which needs to be addressed.
	The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the UK Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) are being kept well informed of all developments in the investigation into the A330 Air France accident and will take any appropriate action necessary once the relevant facts are made available.

Departmental Manpower

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2008,  Official Report, column 383W, on departmental training, which bargaining units have rolled out his Department's competency framework for employees in pay bands 1 to 7.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport (DFT) Central, the Vehicle Certification Agency, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Highways Agency have all rolled out the DFT competency framework to all staff below SCS.
	The Government Car and Despatch Agency rolled out the competency framework to their non-industrial staff.
	The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) decided not to implement the DFT Framework and are continuing to use an updated version of their former (DVO) competency framework. VOSA are committed to promoting Professional Skills for Government (PSG) to all staff and are currently taking positive steps to roll out PSG to all grades.
	The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is also continuing to deploy the former DVO competency framework for its key HR procedures and processes. DVLA's commitment to and delivery of skills development and career management is strong and is inherently aligned to the principles of PSG, with work having been undertaken on job families and an innovation centre which has an excellent reputation. Work is planned to review what steps DVLA need to take to progress PSG implementation further.
	The Driving Standards Agency did not roll out PSG to grades below G7 via the DFT competency framework but is embedding PSG into individual people processes using the original PSG core skills.